Newcastle are walking an injury tightrope with the season only just underway and manager Rafa Benitez is clearly worried.
The Sun report that DeAndre Yedlin left St James’ Park on crutches after injuring his knee in Newcastle’s home defeat to Tottenham on the opening day of the season.
And Benítez revealed that he had wanted to sign a left-back in the summer but didn’t manage to get one over the line.
“We have our squad and if we do not have injuries we can manage,” Benitez said.
“To lose Lejeune was not ideal and we will have to see what happens with DeAndre.
“Positions we were looking at in defence were the centre-back and the left full-back. But we couldn’t find the left full-back we were looking for.
“Of course, Javier Manquillo can play on either side but he is a right footer so we wanted to sign someone with experience in the Premier League. Is it ideal? No.”
Florian Lejeune was the first major injury in defence for the North East side after he tore an anterior cruciate ligament during pre-season training. The 27-year-old has had successful knee surgery to repair the tear but no time has been given for his recovery and he is expected to miss the whole season.
This has left The Magpies lacking in this area with only two fit full-backs at the club, Paul Dummett and Javier Manquillo.
Rafa Benítez had been trying to pick up another full-back before transfer deadline day but a move failed to materialise.
OPINION
This injury crisis could be a real problem for Newcastle United. After a summer in which tensions between Mike Ashley and Benítez were strained due to the owner’s reluctance to open his wallet, this is is just another reason for him not to sign a new contract at the end of the season. Benítez had clearly identified that he needed a centre-back and a full-back for cover in case of injuries this summer. Federico Fernández came in on deadline day to replace the injured Lejeune, but a left-back never followed. Now an injury has struck, Benítez will be thinking even more about getting away from an owner who clearly doesn’t take on board what he is saying. Rafa is unlikely to be the first managerial casualty of the season but with his relationship with Mike Ashley deteriorating every week it seems highly unlikely he will be in charge at the start of next season. Meanwhile, he’s got a crisis to address to ensure they’re still in the Premier League for the 19/20 season.